No Tomorrow

On its face, D-beat is ripe for dismissal. An entire subgenre, probably thousands of bands, built around one particular drumbeat (specifically, the one popularized by British hardcore band Discharge, for whom the style is named) doesn’t sound particularly prone to diverting from the norm. But when well-executed and given room to expand, the Discharge drumbeat (punk rock’s own Neu!-beat) is a foundation upon which to build, not a cell in which to confined. For proof, one need look no further than Wilmington, N.C.’s No Tomorrow.

The lean four-piece resides comfortably within the hardcore/crust-punk structures, employing the driving drumbeat and brusque, shouted phrases as lyrics. The momentum is built for speed and movement, like a missile’s tapered fuselage. But it's when they break from the patterns that No Tomorrow’s ferocious hardcore shows its teeth. Their “Destroyer,” for example, boasts a lead guitar riff worthy of a Motörhead classic, held aloft by hanging guitar drones. The song’s bridge erupts with a pick-slide into a guitar solo that’s understated enough to avoid interrupting the momentum, but stylish enough to be noticed.

That D-beat has proven itself as influential to metal circles as to punk is no surprise, as its speed-ready insistence enables a feeling of constant acceleration. No Tomorrow uses that template to steer its hardcore hot rod through a wild-eyed rush of sharp turns and abrupt stops. —Bryan Reed